1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to lights.
There is a need to provide active lighting for the home. Active lighting is a type of light fitting which alters the lighting of a room, preferably slowly over time, preferably even barely perceptibly. This type of lighting may be capable of creating a particular ambience and is desirable to a consumer wishing to highlight the modern design of their home.
2. Description of Related Art
It is known for light fittings to be connected to motors and servos to allow control of the direction, brightness, diffusion, colour, and nature of the beam produced by a bulb. However, this technology has been used almost exclusively in the world of stage lighting and night-clubs and, as a consequence, has been designed with requirements in mind that are considerably different to the requirements of a modern home owner wishing to decorate their home with innovative lighting styles.
Torches with variable beam angles are also well known. For example, Maglites™ produce a beam with a variable angle by positioning a light source within a parabolic reflector. The position of the parabolic reflector is movable relative to the light source along the axis of the parabola. Unless the light source is positioned at the focus of the parabola, the resulting beam emanating from the parabola is donut shaped. Consequently, a Maglite™ torch will not produce a variable size circular beam of light.
What is required is a simple and preferably automated way to periodically change the angle of a light beam over time, creating a transient lighting effect. This would preferably be achieved without complex controlling mechanisms and/or programming.